Volume I, Jan.

1, 2015
Fort Collins, CO

Accelerate Your
Brand, Go Wild!
Goodbye January, Hello 2015!
By Stefanie Walters

s February draws nearer, weve noticed a bittersweet feeling looming

in the (uncharacteristically warm) Colorado winter air. Maybe were just still lingering over the disappointment of not being
able to cheer on our Broncos in the Super
Bowl this Sunday. Maybe were resisting
the drudgery of tax season. Maybe were
just running low on K-cup refills coffee
is a pretty big deal around the WildRock
office, in case you didnt know.

However, the end of January also
comes with a refreshing feeling of opportunity, and were excited about the new
challenges and prospects on 2015s horizon. As PR and marketing specialists we
love witnessing how culture is changing,
and how we can help the brands we work
with be a part of that change.

Weve been keenly studying how the
technology revolution has already trans-

formed the way our society operates, as well

as how social media has impacted the way
our world communicates. The shift includes
business-to-customer relations; according
to Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics,
90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations while only 14 percent trust
advertisements. PR pros cant get a better
endorsement than that!

So, what does this all mean for companies trying to stay ahead of the game?
Marketing is no longer a one-way street. 34
percent of bloggers write opinions about
products and brands, meaning companies are
now part of the conversation even if they
dont want to be. Creating a successful brand
now means fostering relationships, nurturing
a two-way dialogue and taking care of your
customers.

Were excited to see what 2015 will
bring and the new challenges well get to
tackle.

A Facebook Handbook
Cant Fight The Algorithm
By Mandy Cummings

Photo Courtesy of Google.

Sign up for WildRocks Facebook tutorial on our website: www.wildrockpr.com

Photo Courtesy: Christina Gurissino

With a new year came new headshots for the WildRock team. (Pictured left to right: Morgan, Kristin,
Mandy, Stef and Alicia)

Whats Inside
On The Cover: The WildRock Team gives
their insight on the New Year and strategy to
make the most of your Facebook use.
Page 2: Take A Walk and Cant Fight the
Algorithm
Page 3: 3 Stories Entreprenuers Must Tell
Page 4: Let WildRock help yoou take your
company to new hights, testimonials & more

lients of ours are often surprised to

hear that their Facebook posts are (on
average) reaching just about 16% of their
total number of likes. That means that, for
instance, when you posted about the awesome new promotion you were running
last week to your 1,000 friends, just about
160 of them saw the post.

Facebook uses EdgeRank, an algorithm that determines what posts appear
on each persons news feed, to provide
relevant and wanted content for users. But
this is Facebook, not math class, so well
keep it simple.
(Continued on page 2)

Cant Fight The

Alogorithm
(Continued from pg. 1)

In the algorithm, there are three

variables: affinity, weight, and time decay.
Affinity measures the relationship between
the person who posts and the viewers.
The more interaction from your viewers
the better. Different posts carry different
amounts of weight. Photos and videos
have the most weight, after that its posts
with links, and then plain text updates.
Plus, as a post gets older, it loses value.
Man, if only algebra was this easy...
But the problem persists: Businesses
are only reaching about 16% of their fans.
This is where PR specialists come in. We
may not be math professors, but we sure
can solve algorithms! Benefits of hiring
social media experts range from gaining a
whole team of professionals to keeping a
constant eye on the project. With the time
and skills to create original content, evaluate its effect, and quickly change course
if necessary, their focus is on successfully
representing your business while generating a network of fans.
The WildRock team is proud to
offer these services as a nimble, boutique
agency. We are able to bring an ear to the
ground mentality when following social
media trends and create meaningful strategies and tactics for your business give us
a call to learn more.

Photo Courtesy: Stefanie Walters

Account Coordinator, Mandy Cummings teaching a
Facebook Tutorial at Business Expo in Fort Collins, Co.

Branding: Its Not Just For Cattle

Get Your Message Heard

Through Public Relations

3 Stories Every Entreprenuer Must Tell

By Maggie Patterson

Take A Walk
By Alicia Beard

One of the most challenging aspects of

the PR field is finding a balance between our
business hat and creative hat. The profession straddles both sides of the spectrums and
well bet most PR pros will tell you that is one
of the things they love most about their jobs.
That being said, when youre processing analytics, advising on appropriate customer service
language and drafting compelling content at the Photo Courtesy: Stefanie Walters
WildRockers cheers to their afternoon Starbucks
same time, things can get overwhelming and
tricky fast. Weve compiled a few of our best pick-me-up. This is just an average day in the 4025
Automation Way office.
recommendations for getting the creative juices
flowing.
Change of scenery:
Mandy finds moments of creative thinking outside of the office, I find inspiration by
getting out of the office and working in a creative space like a cool coffee shop, or after clearing
my head at a yoga class.
Media Sparks:
Pictures always spring good ideas, I flip through magazines and newspapers to see whats
hot and what the media will find interesting, notes Kristin.
Exercise Boost:
I get a fresh perspective by being active. When I get stuck in a project and cant seem to
find a solid strategy or creative angle I either go for a run or take a walk. Something about the
fresh air and reconnecting with nature clears my head and allows me to regain my focus.
Espresso:

Both Stef and Morgan agree that a Starbucks run is a fast and effective way to spark the
imagination and re-focus. When asked if you would like an extra shot of espresso the answer is
yes. Always.

National trends for creativity in the workplace havent evolved much over time. People still
enjoy the basic meditation and getting-a-drink-at-lunch methods to ignite some creative ideas (and
we cant blame them). However, there are new trends emerging in workplaces that could be your
key to the next big idea:
Open offices:

Creating an open office floor plan is a great way to cultivate natural conversations. Organic
talk through unplanned interactions has proven to lead to fresh and new ideas.
Integrate fun:

Having an all-work-and-no-play attitude leaves little room for creative expression. Try initiating contests such as a fantasy football bracket.
Sweet Treats:

Break up the monotony of everyday office work by bringing in a sweet treat for the office
every once in a while. The snack can provide a quick break for everyone and allow you to step
away and re-calibrate.

WildRock Newsletter, Jan. Edition, Page 2

s entrepreneurs, we hear it all the time:

You need to use stories to engage your
audience.

But how do you make sure you and your
company tells the stories that connect and
engage with your audience? Well, it starts with
understanding how storytelling works.

Stories sell because as humans, our
brains are hardwired to recognize stories as a
pattern just like we recognize colors, numbers or
shapes.

Psychologists Melanie Green and Tim Brock
have performed extensive
research on storytelling and
have found that any time
we enter a fictional world
via a story it radically
alters the way information
is processed. Stories help to shorten the level
of effort required by our audience to arrive at a
decision.

With so many stories being told, as
marketers and business owners, we need to
tell better stories. To capture attention amid
the endless feed of quizzes and cat memes, we
need to come up with a variety of stories that
connect with our audience and do more than
just tell our founding or I quit my job story.

Sharing that story of how things came to be

can be extremely compelling as your customers
can see themselves in your shoes.

Stories that tap into the customers key
pain points or challenges help to say hey, were
just like you and level the playing field. For
instance, Hard Rock Cafes founding story of
how Americans Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton
opened their first restaurant after not being
able to find a U.S. style burger is something
most people can identify with.

Practice your elevator speech every day until

it becomes natural. It
should be second nature.
--Anonymous

1. Demonstrate you get it.

Every product or solution was created to
solve a problem that either we ourselves were
having or one experienced by our customers.

2. Showcase the
everyday heroes.
Everyone loves a
hero. Thats why the
bulk of fiction novels and movies today
rely on the heros
story to tell their story. While effective,
the heros journey
shouldnt be about your company, but instead,
flipped around to focus on your customers.

Highlighting your customers successes
with your product or service helps to break
down objections and boost your credibility.
Instead of you telling the story, make your
customers the everyday hero.

Adidas #mygirls campaign was a great
example of showcasing the everyday hero,
in this case, girls and women who are into
sports. The campaign drove home compelling
messages around being active and self-esteem
while clearly articulating that Adidas supports
all athletes.

Photo Courtesy of PR Daily

3. Give the inside scoop.

Stories should help to make you and
your company more likable and human, which
is why giving the inside scoop is so effective.
Sharing stories that are unexpected about business failures, challenges or even design processes helps to create interest through transparency.

Anyone can tell a story, but not everyone
is willing to pull back the curtain and share the
good, the bad and possibly even the ugly. Look
at how you can create that feeling of intimacy
with your audience with insider details.

This is likely why the podcast Startup,
which chronicles ex-NPR producer Alex Blumbergs journey of creating a podcast network
is one of the top-rated business podcasts. It
provides an inside look at what it takes to get a
startup off the ground with candor and honesty.

Take Off With Effective

Marketing Strategies

WildRock Newsletter, Jan. Edition, Page 3

Take Your Business to New Heights

What We Do

As a boutique public relations

and marketing firm, WildRock
specializes in giving businesses
one-on-one attention to get the
boost they need to outshine
competition.

Kristin Golliher
Founder & CEO

We cant rave enough about our experiences with Kristin, Sara, and the WildRock
team. They have paid attention to our
priorities, tailored a plan to fit both our
budget and our needs, and executed a PR
strategy that has proven to be successful.
We consider WildRock to be a good partner
in our strategic planning!
Michael Butcher, V.P. of Sales and Marketing

Here To Help

Need more hands on deck?

Weve got a few to spare. Meet
our talented rockstar team!

Alicia Beard
Account Manager

Great Clients

Our selective partnerships

allow us to build long-term,
trusted client relationships focused on personalized, responsive service.

Mandy Cummings
Account Coordinator

Stefanie Walters
Account Assistant

It was truly a pleasure working with

WildRock on this project. Their focus,
determination and commitment to this
campaign was apparent from the start.
-Kelly Falbo, SLA Executive Director

WildRock Newsletter, Jan. Edition, Page 4